Vacuum cleaner



Oct; 29, 1940. 5, s, Foss VACUUM CLEANER Filed Feb. 9, '1938 Patented Oct. 29, 1940 VACUUM CLEANER Benjamin S. Foss, Brookline, Mass., assignor to B. F.- Sturtevant Company, Hyde Park, Mass.,l a corporation of Massachusetts Application February 9, 193s, serial No. isasis s claims (ci. 15---1ci The present invention relates to vacuum cleaners, and more particularly to improvements in that type of vacuum cleaner wherein 'a hand vacuum cleaning unit may be adapted for floor work by mounting the same upon a wheeled carriage provided with a. propelling handle, the hand cleaning unit being demountable for hand operation when desired.

In the presentinventors prior Patent No. 2,070,986, issued February-16, 1937, there is disclosed a ,carriage arranged to support a hand -vacuum cleaner with .the nozzle or other suc-4 tion device of the latter in contact with the floor or floor covering, the motor housing of the vacuum cleaner being secured to the carriage by means vof straps encircling the housing and joined by a toggle-action clamp.

Because 'of the fact that the size and shape of suction nozzle best adapted for use with a hand cleaner is substantially different from .the nozzle most suitable for use on oor coverings and the like, there was Adevised the improved construction forming the subject-matter of a co-pencling application of the present inventor, Serial No. 137,611, filed April 19, 1937.

This improvement consisted in providing a supplementary hoor-engaging suction nozzle mounted upon the carriage and adapted to be engaged by the nozzle or other suction device of the hand vacuum cleaner, as disclosed in the aforesaid application. The eiliciency of the combination hand cleaner and carriage for floor work were 'thereby substantially increased without altering the hand cleaning unit or impairing its eflicien'cy for hand use. In this construction, the vacuum cleaner unit issecured to the door carriage by means of a spring clip into which the motor housing is forced, .the nozzle ofthe cleaner resting upon the top face of the supplementary -nozzle with -the suction passage of the nozzle .of the hand unit lin communication with the passage in the supplementary nozzle'.

Certain practical difiiculties have arisen, however, in the above construction with regard 'to the mounting of the hand cleaner urit on the carriage, both as to'ease of attachment and re- 'A moval 'of the unit, and more particularly as tothe attaining of a' suiiiciently air-tight joint between.

the hand cleaner nozzle and the supplementary floor nozzle ofthe carriage. Even a slight leak-4 age in the connection greatly reduces the force 'of suctionon the work, and thus substantially impairs the eilciency of the cleaner for .floor work-where 'a high degree o1 suction is particulax-ly necessary.

The spring clip of the prior construction substantially encircles the motor housing, and necessarily embraces the housing with considerable pressure.v As a result, if the hand cleaner isnot pushed into place with its nozzle opening in exact register with the opening in the supplementary nozzle and with their respective contacting` faces exactly parallel, the resistance to bodily and rotational movement of they motor `housing relative to the carriage prevents any correction in alignment and the hand unit must be removed and re-inserted or else the combination operated with excessive leakage at the joint between the nozzles. In addition,` the substantial degree of force required to push the cleaner into the clamp and to remove the unit from the car-v riage has proved to be a drawback to the prior construction.

The object of the present invention is to provide a vacuum cleaner of the above type of novel .and improved construction and arrangement,

comprising a hand cleaning unit Vand a wheeled oor carriage for demountably supporting the same, the carriage having a nozzle for adapting the nozzle of the hand unit for floor work, Wherein the hand cleaner may be quickly and easily mounted upon the carriage withthe nozzle-of the cleaner positively aligned and'in substantially air-tight contact with the supplementary nozzle A of the carriage.

With this object in view, a feature of the present invention consists in the'provision of a wheeled carriage to which may be secured a hand type vacuum cleaner, th'e carriage being provided with la handle for propelling the cleaner over the work and having a supplementary oor engaging nozzle for adapting the nozzle or other suction device of the hand cleaner 'for floor work'l the supplementary nozzle being provided with means for guiding'and urging the suction device of the hand cleaner into positive valignment and effective pneumatic connection with the said iioor engaging nozzle.

Another feature of theV invention consists in l the provision in a wheeled carriage of the type u described having a supplementary floor-engaging nozzle, of simple and readily operated clamping means for securing the-hand cleaningunit to the `carriage while urgingthe suction 'device of the unitinto contact with the guidingand directing means carried by the supplementary nozzle, wherebysaid device is caused to assume an aligned and substantially air-tight connection withL the supplementary nozzle of the carriage.

In the-accompanying drawing illustrating the preferred embodiment of the invention, Fig; 1 isa View in side elevationl of the carriage with the hand cleaning unit mounted thereon, the carriage and lower end, of the handle being shown in sectionand portions of the nozzle and motor housing of the hand cleaner being broken away; Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the carriage shown 1 in section, of thesupplementary .nozzle and a portion of the hand cleaner nozzlepositioned thereon.

The hand'vacuum cleaner villustrated in the drawing is similar to that shown in applicants co-pendng application above referred to, and is of conventional construction and arrangement, `comprising a. motor housing 6, afan Icasing I0, a suction nozzle I2 attached by a bayonet type lock to thefan casing and extending forwardly and downwardly therefrom, and -a dust collecting bag I4. The-cleaner is adapted to be connectd to'a source of electricity by the cord I6, the operation of the fan motor being controlled by a switch I8. A grip or handle secured to the cleaner 'enables the unit to be held -by the operator for hand operation. To aord ventila; tion for the motor o f the cleaner, the end (of the motor housing is provided with a-number of circular openings .22, as shown in Fig. 3.

The carriage, upon which the hand cleaner may 'be mounted to permit its use as a traveling floor cleaner for operation on rugs; carpets, and the like, is adapted to support at one end .thereof the motor housing of the hand cleaner,

. and at the otherend the nozzle of the cleaner.

'I'he rear portion of the plate is -bent downwardly to form portions 26 surrounding an axle 28V,- (see Fig. 3),v upon the ends of which are ro- I tatably mounted a pair of wheels 30, screws 32 serving to retain the wheels on the axle.

`The supporting plate 24 is formed with sidewardly and rearwardly directed extensions 34 in the 'nature of fenders projecting over the wheels,4 these extensions serving to protect the the arms of the yoke 38. .as-'indicated at 40. The

dust bag I4 of the hand cleaner from contact with the wheels.

'I'he carriage is provided with the usual tubular handle for propelling and guiding the cleaner over the work, the lower end of the handle being indicated at 36.V 'I'he handle is secured to a yoke 36, the arms of which are pivoted upon the-axle at each side of the plate 24.

To limitthe forward and rearward movement of thefhandlee on thefcarriagecto a range suitable for convenient. operation ofthe cleaner. the rear portion of the plate 24 extends beyond the .axle-encircling portions 26 and in front of arms of the yoke are cut away, as Ashown in Fig. 1

'to provide shoulders` or abutments. the engagement of the shoulder 42 -with the portion 40 of the support limiting forward movement of .the handle, while rearward movement is limited -by the shoulder 44.

The carriage' is provided with a supplementary,

oor-engaginar nozzle 46 niounted'at the forward endof the plate 48. which may be formed integrally with the platel 24 which supports the motor housing ofthe hand cleaner. 4I .extendsdownwardly and forwardly beneath the fan casing 16,-and isprovided with longiribs 50 adjacentthe nozzle.

; the, inside of the mouth of the nozzle I2.

The plate supporting platein any suitable manner, a satisfactory arrangement being that shown in the.

drawing withthe front edge of the plate inserted in a= horizontal slot in the rear wall 52 of 'the nozzle, the position of the sloty vertically be-` ing such that the top face of the slotted Wall 52 is substantially flush with the top surface of the Vertically directed screws 54 serve to clamp the nozzle rmly to the plate.

The air passage of the supplementary nozzle 46 is adapted to bein communication with the passage in the nozzle of the hand cleaner 'when the cleaner is in position'on the carriage, the upper portion of the air passage in the nozzle 46 being of substantially. the same dimensions as 'I'he lower portion ofthe air passage of the supplementary nozzle is substantially greater in length, as illustrated in Fig. 4, than the length of the hand cleaner nozzle, thereby increasing the ef fective cleaning width of the hand cleaner when 1 used for floor work.

is of greater thickness than the rear Wall 52 to permit the provision of a slot 640 extending substantiallly the lengthof the nozzle and adapted to direct la. stream of air downwardly onto 4the workl and along the surface thereof. The suction of the hand cleaner is thus rendered more effective in picking up threads and the .like and in removing dirt from deep pile fabrics.

To prevent injury to furniture and other objectsby impact with the cleaner when used for floor work, a strip 62 of'rubber or other soft yielding inaterial is secured by an adhesive or by suitable fastening means 'in' a channel formed in the front and side edges of the supplementary nozzle.. The top face of the supplementary noz- `zle adjacent the passage is likewise provided with the nozzle of the hand cleaner to assist in obtaining a tight connection between the nozzles. In order that the hand cleaner' maybe readily mounted on'the carriage -withcertainty that the nozzle will in every case be in proper 4alignment with thelsppleme'ntary nozzle and in rm and substantiallyleak-proof contact with the sealing gasket or .insert 6.4, the supplementary nozzle 'isprovided with a lip or abutment ,66 adapted-to engage the nozzle of the hand cleaner and to directy thesame into aligned and sealing contact with the supplementary nozzle.-

The Aabutment is preferably formed integrally with the supplementary nozzle 46 oflight metal such as aluminum, and comprisesl front and end wall portions upstanding from the top face of` the nozzle and set back somewhat from the edges c thereof.- The inside surfaces of the walls of the abutment are formed to have substantially the shape ofthe front and'end exterior surfaces of the hand cleaner nozzle adjacent its'lower end, the lower portion 61 of the inside of the abutment rising vertically as 'illustrated in Figs. -1

and 4 to provide clearance for the rubber bumper 75 lao 'of the nozzle of thev hand cleaner with .the end walls of the abutment, while the front wall of the abutment limits the forward movement of the hand cleaner so thatexact registrationof the air passages is obtained. As a consequence ofthe engagement of the sloping inner surfaces of the abutment with the correspondingly inclined exterior surfaces of the hand cleaner nozzle, the latter mentioned -nozzle is wedged or forced downwardly into firm contact with the sealing gasket when the nozzle is urged in a forward direction relative to the supplementary nozzle.

To secure the hand cleaner to the carriagewhile urging the cleaner nozzle forwardly againstthe abutment 68, clamping means are provided for retaining the motor housing of the cleaner in aligned position on the support`24 and at the same time applying a yieldingforward pressure on the housing. The clamping means comprise a lever 1 0 pivotally mounted on the axle 28 between the portions 26 of the supporting plate, the lever being rocked 'in counterclockwise di rection as viewed in Fig. v1 by a spring 12 secured at one end by rivets 14 to the under side of plate 24 and bearing at its other end against arm 1li of \the lever. Secured to and projecting forwardly from the upper portion of the lever 10 is a pointed boss or latching pin 18 of substantially circular cross-section, which pin is adapted to fit part way into the lower Ventilating hole 22 or other appropriate' aperture ,in the end ofthe motor housing ofthe hand cleaner. As illustrated in the side view, Fig. l, the bottom of the pin is straight up to its point., thus positively preventing upward displacement of the cleaner even though the pin may extend only a short distance into the opening. The top of the pin is curved forwardly and downwardly to provide an inclined surface by which th pin and clampinglever may be pushed back by engagement with5 Y the rounded corner of the motor housing when the cleaner is forced downwardly into position on the carriage.

The clamping leverl is limited in its forward rocking movement when the cleaner is removed from the carriage by means of a' projection 80 which is adapted to engage the edge of the plate 24 between the axle-encirclingportions 26. The upper end of the lever 10 is bent outwardly and dished slightly to form a handle or inger strip 82 by which the lever may be rocked by the operator against the force of the spring 12 to release the cleaner from the carriage.

To mount the hand cleaner on the carriage i-Jr use as a traveling oor cleaner, it is merely necessary for the operator to grasp the vacuum cleaner by its han-dle 20 and lower the cleaner onto the carriage until the nozzle comes into contact with top of the ribs 50 of the plate 48 which supports the supplementary nozzle. The

the 'supplementary nozzle.

I Having thus described the hand cleaner is, then pushed forward on the.

carriage, the nozzle readily sliding along the ribs onto the top face of the supplementary nozzle and into engagement with the walls of the abutment 66. With the nozzle of the cleaner positioned on the supplementary nozzle, the motor end is then lowered on the semi-cylindrical supporting plate, being guided into place by the flaring sides thereof. Downward pressure on the handle of the cleaner forces the pin carried by the clamping'-lever 10 out backwardly of the motor housing, thereby permitting the same to descend to seated position on theA supporting plate.

, In this position the in the end of the motor housing is brought into alignment with the pin, which snaps into the opening under the action of the spring 12 on the clamping. lever 10, thereby locking the motor housing firmly in place on the support and at the same time urging the cleaner forwardly on the carriage to cause the abutment to force the hand cleaner nozzle down into sealing contact with Since vertical separation of the nozzles is impossible without rearward horizontal movement of the hand cleaner relative to the carriage, which movement is rmthe hand cleaner is secured against displacement in any direction by the impacts and vibration incidental to floor work.

The pin type clamping means for the motor housing permits a certain degree of rotation of the housing relative to the support, thus enabling the nozzle of the handcleaner always to beheld by the abutment in alignment with the supplementary nozzle, regardless of any rocking or twisting of the. carriage as the combination is moved over the work.

The handV cleaner is readily disengaged from the carriage for hand-held operation by rocking the clamping lever away from the motor housing, the operator pressing down upon the handle .82 .with either the thumb or the toe of the shoe and at the same time lifting the cleaner from the support, the nozzle .readily slipping out of engagement with the abutment.

While the invention has been described and illustrated as embodied in a particular construction and arrangement now considered' to be the preferred form, it is to be understood that .the invention is not so limited, but may be embodied in other forms and arrangements of parts within the scope of the appended claims. A

The supplementary nozzle, for example, maybe constructed in a variety of forms and proportions in order that the suction of thev hand cleaner may be utilized most effectively for cleaning floor work without alteration of the hand cleaner or its nozzle or otherv suction device which would tend to render the cleaner less effective for hand held operation. Nor is the invention limited to the particular clamping means described and illustrated, except where as specified in the claims, other constructions and arrangements ,for securing the cleaner to the carriage being within the scope of the invention as defined by the claims. invention, what is claimed is:

lower Ventilating hole 22 v ly resisted by the spring 12 of the clamping lever,

1. A carriage for adapting for oor work a hand vacuum cleaner provided with a motor housing and a suction nozzle extending forwardly and downwardly therefrom, the carriage comprising a support for the housing.' an axle carried by the support, wheels on the axle, a handle associated with the support for moving the cleaner on the work, a supplementary nozzle secured to the support and adapted to be in communication with the nozzle of the hand cleaner when the same is mounted on the support, said supplementary nozzle having a rearwardly inclined.

abutment arranged to receive the hand cleaner nozzle from the rear and to urge the 'same downwardly into aligned and sealing contact with the supplementary nozzle when the hand cleaner is urged forwardly relative to the carriage, and

' support for the housing, a supplementary nozzle secured to the carriage and adapted to be engaged by the nozzle of the hand cleaner when the latter is mounted on the support, and means for securing the housing to the support comprising a spring pressed latching member arranged to engage -the housing to lock the housing to the support, the member having a cammingsurface adapted to be engaged by the housing in positioning the hand cleaner on the support for causing said member to yield outwardly relative to the housing; and connections for actuating 'the member to release the housing.

3. A carriage for adapting for oor work a hand vacuum cleaner provided with a motor housing and a suction nozzle, the carriage comprising a support'for the housing, a supplementary nozzle secured to the carriage andadapted to be engaged by the nozzle of the hand cleaner when thelatter is mounted on the support, and means for securing the housing to the support comprising a spring pressed pin adapted to enter a recess on the rear of the housing, said pin having a straight bottom engaging face and a beveled top enagiilg face, and means for withdrawing-*the I pin from the' recess to release the housing from the support. l A y i 4. A carriage for adapting for floor work a hand cleaning unit comprising a motor housing and a suction nozzle projecting forwardly and downwardly therefrom, the carriage comprising a member adapted to support the motor housing of the hand unit and a supplementary nozzle secured to the supporting member having a work contacting lower face, an upper face provided with resilient means adapted -t`o be in sealing contact with the nozzle of the hand cleaner unit when the same is mounted on the carriage, and a passage between the faces, said supplementary nozzle having an upstanding rearwardly inclined abutment to engage and overlie a portion of the hand cleaner .nozzle to position the same on the supplementary nozzle and to force thehand cleaner nozzle downwardly into sealing contact with the upper face of the supplementary nozzle when the hand cleaner is urged forwardly on the car- Y. riage, and means adapted to engagethe motor portion of the hand cleaner nozzle to position the same on the supplementary nozzle and force the hand cleaner nozzle downwardly relative to the supplementary nozzle when the hand cleaner is urged forwardly on the carriage, and rearwardly yielding means carried by the supporting member and adapted to engage the rear of the motor housing of the cleaner to urge the same forwardly relative to the carriage and likewise to secure the cleaner thereon.

BENJAMIN S. FOSS. 'l 

